The NAEP High School Transcript Study

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has been collecting high school transcript data since the early 1980s, when the focus of education reform was on statewide curricula in core courses. The first high school transcript study was conducted in 1982, in conjunction with the first follow-up of the High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study. The database from this transcript study was used to examine the criteria recommended by the National Commission on Excellence in Education in A Nation at Risk, issued in 1983. Since then, to address issues of quality education, various efforts have emphasized courses in specific subject areas, such as mathematics and science; the number of courses completed; and the timeline for course completion. NCES has conducted six other transcript studies: the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) High School Transcript Study (HSTS), conducted in 1987, 1990, 1994, 1998, and, most recently, in 2000; and the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) transcript study, conducted in 1992. In fall 2004, NCES collected transcripts from a cohort of 2002 high school sophomores as part of the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002).

These periodic studies of transcripts of graduating seniors from our nation's high schools, both public and nonpublic, serve as a barometer of changes in high school students' coursetaking patterns. When combined with data on course offerings, they provide valuable information about the rigor of high school curricula across the nation. Because each of these transcript studies is conducted in conjunction with a major cross-sectional (NAEP) or longitudinal (NELS:88 and ELS:2002) study, it is possible to compare information on high school students' coursetaking patterns with achievement and other education outcomes. This allows NCES to examine numerous education reform issues such as changes in high school curricula, the status of vocational education, graduation requirements, and preparedness for postsecondary activities.

A new NCES report—The High School Transcript Study: A Decade of Change in Curricula and Achievement, 1990–2000—provides findings from the NAEP 2000 HSTS and examines trends in high school students' coursetaking patterns for the decade between 1990 and 2000. One of the most distinctive aspects of the NAEP transcript studies is that they allow examination of the relationship between transcript data and NAEP achievement scores. For example, it is possible to examine the relationship between high school graduates' average grade point average (GPA) and average NAEP scores attained in the 2000 mathematics and science assessments. The NAEP HSTS is the featured topic in this issue of the Education Statistics Quarterly.

Findings from the 2000 study show that high school graduates are taking more challenging courses and are doing well in them. They are completing more course credits and earning higher GPAs than they did a decade earlier. This progress is evident across various subgroups of students.

Overall, the number of course credits earned by high school graduates increased to an average of 26.2 in 2000, from an average of 23.6 in 1990. The same pattern of increase over the decade can be seen within all four major racial and ethnic subgroups. Across the decade, there were also substantial increases in graduates taking algebra II and calculus. In 2000, 56.7 percent of graduates completed algebra II as their highest mathematics course, compared to 47.0 percent in 1990. Similarly, 12.5 percent of graduates completed calculus as their highest mathematics course in 2000, compared to 7.2 percent in 1990. Along with increases in these advanced courses, corresponding decreases are evident in the percentages of graduates whose highest mathematics course was algebra I or below.

Furthermore, when the data are disaggregated by race and ethnicity, the increase in the percentages of graduates completing advanced courses over the decade is also evident across all racial and ethnic subgroups. A strong increase is evident in the percentages of White, Black, and Hispanic graduates reaching the algebra II level. However, for calculus, only the percentage of White graduates completing calculus courses increased. When examining algebra II and calculus together, 88.4 percent of Asian and Pacific Islander, 70.4 percent of White, 64.9 percent of Black, and 60.6 percent of Hispanic graduates completed at least one of these courses in 2000.

In addition, findings from the 2000 transcript study show an increase in the grades students received in the courses they took. From 1990 to 2000, the average GPA of high school graduates increased from 2.68 to 2.94, with a highest possible GPA of 4.00. The increase in the average GPA of high school graduates from 1990 to 2000 was evident for all examined student and school characteristics including gender, race/ethnicity, school type, and region of the country.

However, while the average GPA of high school graduates has risen over the past decade, the level of proficiency of high school graduates has decreased. In 2000, the average NAEP mathematics score for all graduates was 301, within the Basic range. While this score represents a significant increase over the 1990 average mathematics score for all graduates (294), it is a significant decrease from the 1996 average score (304). Similarly, in 2000, the average NAEP science score for all graduates was 147, indicating a Basic level of science proficiency. This represents a significant decrease in the average NAEP science score from 1996. Findings such as these give the appearance of grade inflation and may explain why colleges emphasize the rigor of high school curriculum and standardized tests as well as grades.

While the relationship between average GPA and NAEP scores may prove to be informative, other findings raise important questions. For example, why is there an apparent disconnect between high school grades and preparedness for college? While the transcript study data show that the average high school graduate has a B average, about one-fourth (28 percent) of college freshman are enrolled in remedial courses in reading, writing, or mathematics.*

NCES transcript studies have provided valuable, objective data on high school students' coursetaking patterns and achievement at seven points from 1982 to 2000. The next NAEP transcript study will be conducted in 2005 in conjunction with the NAEP 12th-grade mathematics and science assessments. The 2005 study will allow continued examination of the relationship between high school students' coursetaking patterns and achievement. It will also include special studies to take a closer look at course content and materials.

For additional information on the NAEP High School Transcript Study, please visit the website at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/hsts/.

*Remedial course enrollment data are from the Postsecondary Education Quick Information System (PEQIS), "Remedial Education in Higher Education Institutions: Fall 2000," PEQIS 12, 2001.